Elementum 3D
An optical micrograph of Elementum 3D's additively manufactured (3D metal printed) A7050-RAM2 aluminium 7050. Microstructure with RAM additions expressing the absence of hot tearing and minimised porosity.
Elementum 3D has been awarded 2,875,000 USD by America Makes to generate material property datasets with high statistical power for ‘industrially relevant’ aluminium and nickel alloys.
The project hopes to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in the aerospace, automotive, defence and energy sectors by providing engineers with greater confidence. By developing material property datasets, Elementum 3D and its various partners are confident engineers will be able to apply materials for critical applications with an extremely low tolerance for failure.
As Elementum 3D embarks on the programme, it will incorporate products and services from Battelle, Castheon, Dyndrite Corporation, Eaton Corporation, EOS North America, Incodema, National Institute for Aviation Research, Product Evaluation Systems, The Ohio State University Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence, and Westmoreland Mechanical Testing and Research.
“America Makes’ push to advance AM material datasets is monumental for the manufacturing industry,” commented Dr Jacob Nuechterlein, Elementum 3D’s founder and President. “It stimulates greater confidence in high-strength aluminium print quality and broadens the AM supply chain. We are excited to join forces with the other awardees. Together, our expansive knowledge and expertise in materials development establishes the future of AM materials.”
In a press release announcing the project, Elementum 3D revealed Dyndrite would provide copies of its LPBF Pro software to enable rapid build preparation, materials and process development, and report generation for qualifications for the EOS 3D printers selected for the program, while Eaton Corporation would work with Elementum 3D to develop a design allowable dataset for their A7050-RAM2 material, which will be one of the materials qualified through this process.
“Most industries are just beginning to see the opportunities provided by additive manufacturing,” commented Steve Walton, Head of Product, Dyndrite, “Broader adoption of additive manufacturing in critical industries like defence, energy, and aerospace has been hampered by lack of public, traceable, statistically significant data sets that characterise high value materials. We look forward to working alongside Elementum 3D and America Makes to reverse this paradigm. We are helping to proliferate knowledge that enables new solutions through the adoption of additive manufacturing.”
“We have been impressed by the performance of the A7050-RAM2 material and are excited about possible applications in our extensive aluminum portfolio,” added Eaton Aerospace’s Director of Additive Manufacturing and Digital Design Mike York. “A printable, high-strength aluminium allows Eaton to bring to market superior product solutions that are lighter, better performing, and more sustainable than conventional counterparts.”
Results of this America Makes program will be available to America Makes members as well as the U.S. Government.
